Tucked into the green Boise
Basin northeast of Boise,
Idaho is a totally different
world: a world where the past comes alive.This is a world of ghost towns, forgotten mining camps and lingering
memories.Here in this eighteen square mile
forested basin, if you listen carefully, you just might hear the scuffling
sound of shovels digging into the rich soil, the busy rumbling of stamp mills
and the bustling shouts of humanity driven by the golden dream of
riches.

The BoiseBasin exploded into the
public awareness in 1862 when gold was discovered along Grimes Creek, Elk
Creek, Granite Creek, Mores Creek and Ophir
Creek.A number of mining towns sprang
up in the basin, including IdahoCity, Centerville, Pioneerville, Placerville
and Quartzburg.

Leaving the
state capital and its urbanity behind, head southeast on Interstate 84, and
exit at EXIT 57, dropping onto State Highway 21.Only 34 miles from the Interstate, old wooden
false fronts and brick buildings welcome you to IdahoCity, BoiseCounty’s
seat of government, itself a worthwhile stop.At the top of IdahoCity’s Main Street, the graded dirt Horseshoe Bend Road
loops past the cemetery, winding its dusty way towards New Centerville, a
loose-knit collection of “rustic” cabins, mobile homes and outbuildings.

Beyond New
Centerville, at mile 4.6, is a road junction.The left fork continues towards Horseshoe Bend, which is a small town on
State Highway 55, about 30 miles north of Boise.The right fork continues to Placerville, only 1.2 miles beyond. We rolled
intoPLACERVILLE
not really knowing what to expect. I was definitely pleased.Driving into town past a couple of
whitewashed buildings, and circling around the freshly mowed, sweet smelling
grass of the town square, I felt a sense of victory – of relief.This was definitely a worthwhile stop!At the top of the flagpole in the center of
the square, “Old Glory” fluttered in the gentle breeze, and I could almost
imagine a Fourth of July celebration and band concert in the park.Yet there wasn’t a single person to be seen anywhere.

After one
circuit of the square, I backed into a flat spot between the City Hall and the
Boise Basin Mercantile.This little town
was a real find.To say I was pleased is
an understatement.The official 1990
population of Placerville
was 14, and in our hour plus visit, we saw only one other person.She set a library book on the bench in front
of the Magnolia Saloon building, got back in her truck and headed down the
small hill next to the building, and disappeared in a cloud of dust.

Most all the
standing buildings are in a good state of repair, but at the time of our visit,
none were open.I peeked in windows and
glass doors, noting only a couple that may still be in use, or at least were
until quite recently (summer 1999).

Off to the southwest
towards the cemetery, weekend and summer cabins are beginning to fill in among
the trees.Even so, the Placerville of today is MUCH smaller than it
was in 1863, when it had over 100 buildings and 3254 people.Some of the businesses then, included five
blacksmiths, five meat markets, seven restaurants, 13 saloons and a batch of
hotels, boarding houses and general merchandise stores. In 1899 or 1900, Placerville was decimated
by a major fire.What remains today was
spared by that fire.

The Boise Basin
is fertile ground for exploration, and if you have a vehicle capable of
traversing rough roads, you have a much better chance of getting into the back
country and finding the ruins of places like “Old” CENTERVILLE and PIONEERVILLE,
as well as BOSTON, BUENA VISTA BAR, ELKHORN, GABRINUS MINE,
GRANITE CITY, MAMMOTH MINE & MILL, MAYFLOWER MINE, MOORSTOWN,
PINE GROVE and POMONA, among others.

From 1862 to
1870 every grain of soil was panned, sluiced and washed for gold. The entire
basin was a placer mining bonanza, with finds as rich as $100 per day, or $20
for a flour sack full of dirt.However,
a summer-time lack of water created hardship, but within a year or two even
that minor inconvenience was licked by means of ditches from streams to the
diggings. Later, dredges worked the deeper placer deposits, and hard-rock
mining followed by the early 1870s.The
future of mining in the Basin was assured ... until 1942 when the federal
government required most mines to close for the duration of the war.